Ford bulletin SSM 55098
What it saysSome 2013-2016 Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 6.7L diesel engine and 2015-2019 Transit vehicles equipped with a 3.2L diesel engine may not pass a state smog test due to the exhaust gas system (EGS) monitor… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ford filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Aug 18, 2026, received Aug 25, 2026, about the power train. It names 8 model years (2016–2019). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationWhat it applies to, as NHTSA’s summary states it — build dates and equipment as the manufacturer filed them. The dealer checks the VIN and the build date on the door jamb; a vehicle outside the window is not covered by this bulletin.
Some 2013-2016 Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 6.7L diesel engine and 2015-2019 Transit vehicles equipped with a 3.2L diesel engine may not pass a state smog test due to the exhaust gas system (EGS) monitor that will not run after completing the exhaust gas sensor drive cycle located within Section 2 of the Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnostics (PC/ED) Manual > Drive Cycles. This may be due to the vehicles diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) age counter being under the 120-minute age requirement. There is an all-new "PCM Catalytic Converter Age Evaluation" application within the latest version of the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS). Use this new FDRS application to determine the age (in minutes) of the DOC. If the age is less than 120 minutes, perform manual regenerations to increase the catalyst age counter to satisfy the monitor age requirement. If further assistance is needed, contact the technical assistance center (TAC). Note: this article only applies to the EGS monitor. Problems with other vehicle monitors not running successfully must be addressed using normal diagnostics located i
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSM 55098 | Service bulletin | Aug 18, 2026 | 11036338 | PDF, 71 KB |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themAlso filed against model years this site has no page for: 2016 Ford F-550 SD.
A vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 7 model years this bulletin names have filed 856 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 234 of them name Engine, Power Train — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2016 Ford Transit, the 39 owners who gave an odometer reading for Power Train reported it at a median of 105,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
Diesel engine fails catastrophically on highway in motion--first a blown piston at 78k miles, turbo failed within 5k miles of engine. Prior to these failures, both this truck and it's twin(bought identically together) developed leaks in the radiators...same location. The sister truck is now at a Ford dealer with a blown engine
2018 Ford Transit · Engine · filed with NHTSA Dec 28, 2020 · ODI 11385232
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit. While the vehicle was at the a local dealer located at 15330 palmdale rd, victorville, ca 92392 for inspection, it was noticed that the drive line coupler was fractured. The dealer replaced the drive line coupler. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure.
2016 Ford Transit · Power Train · filed with NHTSA May 24, 2017 · ODI 10991430
When driving down the freeway the dash dinged and said engine fault service now. The vehicle lost acceleration and had to coast to the shoulder while vehicles were going around him. Ford says this is a safety feature when a part goes bad so the engine doesn't get damaged. The throttle body had to be replaced.
2016 Ford Transit · Engine · filed with NHTSA Jul 13, 2016 · ODI 10884479
In depth: 2016 Ford Transit transmission and drivetrain problems →
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the power train
Source: same model, same component group91 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ford models under the same component group (power train), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ford list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB 26-2408 v2 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2309. Reason for update: update the Model section to remove Aviator 10R80, update theParts list to add 3.3L to W… |
| TSB 26-2431 | Service bulletin | Oct 21, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2226. Reason For Update: update the Service Procedure for 2021-2022 F-150 3.5L EcoBoost vehicles with the new Fo… |
| SSM 55218 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2026 | For 20202026 vehicles equipped with the 10R140 transmission, a new Transmission Clutch Circuit Leak Test has been introduced in the Ford… |
| TSB 26-2088 v2 | Service bulletin | Oct 1, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 24-2249. Reason for update: update the claim quantity of the torque converter nuts, part number and claim quantity… |
| TSB 26-2408 | Service bulletin | Sep 22, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2309. Reason For Update: update the Model section to remove Aviator 10R80, update the Parts list to add 3.3L to… |
| TSB 26-2406 | Service bulletin | Sep 5, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit at least one of the following conditions: Poor shift quality Illumi… |
| TSB 26-2252 | Service bulletin | Sep 5, 2026 | Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit at least one of the following conditions: Poor shift quality Illumi… |
| TSB 26-2309 | Service bulletin | Jul 2, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes 26-2241. Reason For Update: update the parts list to correct the claim quantity of the part number JB3Z-4B496-B fro… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Ford, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Ford SSM 55098 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the SSM 55098 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way.
Which vehicles does SSM 55098 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 8 model years: 2016 Ford F-250 Super Duty, 2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty, 2016 Ford F-450 Super Duty, 2019 Ford Transit, 2018 Ford Transit, 2017 Ford Transit and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.